Jake Daniels: ‘Inspirational’ Blackpool forward comes out as gay, the first active male EFL footballer to do so in UK

Blackpool forward Jake Daniels has been praised for his courage after the 17-year-old became the first active male professional footballer to come out as gay in the UK. Daniels is the first Football League player to come out since Justin Fashanu in 1990, and follows Adelaide United’s Josh Cavallo, who came out as the only gay male top-flight footballer in the world back in October.

Ad/> Daniels made his league debut at the weekend on the final day of the Championship season at Peterborough. The Emirates FA CupWillock stars as Arsenal coast to victory in Blackpool05/01/2019 AT 09:05 “Off the pitch I’ve been hiding the real me and who I really am,” he said in a statement on Blackpool’s website.

“I’ve known my whole life that I’m gay, and I now feel that I’m ready to come out and be myself.” Daniels cited Cavallo and Olympic diving champion Tom Daley among his inspirations for revealing his sexuality. He added: “It’s a step into the unknown being one of the first footballers in this country to reveal my sexuality, but I’ve been inspired by Josh Cavallo, Matt Morton and athletes from other sports, like Tom Daley, to have the courage and determination to drive change.

Adelaide's Cavallo comes out as gay Liverpool boss Klopp hits out at scheduling “In reaching this point, I’ve had some of the best support and advice from my family, my Club, my agent and Stonewall, who have all been incredibly pro-active in putting my interests and welfare first. I have also confided in my team-mates in the youth team here at Blackpool, and they too have embraced the news and supported my decision to open up and tell people.

“I’ve hated lying my whole life and feeling the need to change to fit in. I want to be a role model myself by doing this.